New Year, New Goal

Happy New Year!

The past couple months have been a whirlwind of traveling and hosting. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to spend the holidays with so many people I love.

{Yes, even this weirdo.}

Now that I'm settled back in LA, I am:

1. having a really difficult time not constantly bragging about how much warmer I am than my poor Northeast-dwelling peeps (sorry, guys! I really am trying!)
2. really, really excited for what 2014 has in store.

I'm typically awful at making New Year's resolutions, mostly because they're often a setup for disappointment. Nothing rubs the salt into one's wounds of inadequacy like continually failing to do the things you already sucked at doing in the first place, right?

Last year, though, I decided to brainstorm a few small, positive changes I could make in my life, and then pick one to focus on that would be both manageable and meaningful. I resolved to read one book each month, selected only for my personal enjoyment and relaxation (ie, books read for school/teaching don't count). I not only stuck to this goal--even during those crazy few months back in the Spring when I changed teaching loads and even school buildings like four times--but exceeded it! Reading for pleasure was one of those little things that had gradually slipped away over time (perhaps ironic for a liberal arts major and English teacher?), and reintegrating it in my life proved surprisingly meaningful. It was a welcomed escape from the stresses of my job and hectic life, it introduced me to worlds, words, and writing styles previously unfamiliar, and it helped refocus me on some deeper personal goals that I'd been putting on the back burner for literally years.

In 2014, I'm aiming for a similar type of resolution: small changes in my daily routine that can lead to simple yet positive boosts in my overall quality of life. After brainstorming a few options, I think I've settled on something surprisingly...well...domestic. This year, I'd like to make more of an effort to maintain my living space; specifically, I'd like to do more cooking and cleaning.

Shocking, I know!

Here's the situation, though:

1. I work from home. I'm in my apartment nearly 24/7. It's suddenly really important to always feel comfortable and clean here, but also surprisingly difficult to switch from the "I'm at work and should be working" mentality to the "Damn, I should probably move from my desk/computer and take stock of the state of the rest of my apartment" mentality.
2. Also living here is my dear, sweet boyfriend: the world's most lovable slob. We've lived together for a couple years, but this is the first time we've both been here more or less every day for an extended period of time (he used to travel during the week as a consultant). "Exponential" is a word that comes to mind when contemplating the increase in messiness.
3. The bf eats at work during the week, so I mostly "cook" meals for one. Often, this ends in me realizing, "Oh shit, it's 7:30? I'm starving!" and making a PB&J. I also despise grocery shopping more than any other chore, which leads to unsurprising stretches of barren refrigerator syndrome.

So...while I'm definitely not striving to be the next Martha Stewart or anything, I would like to make some sort of regular cleaning schedule I can easily stick to--and maybe even *gasp!* get my boyfriend to help with--and to make an effort to actually prepare a hot meal that doesn't involve microwaving at least a couple times per week. Nothing too crazy. I am supposed to be some sort of "adult" now, after all. ;-)

(Naturally, this goal is separate from my 2014 writing-related goals. Since this is now my actual JOB, though, I'm treating those less as resolutions and more as necessities--as they should be!)